American politician
James Dennis Scholten [1] (born March 4, 1980) is an American paralegal , politician and current professional baseball pitcher for the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association of Professional Baseball . He is from the state of Iowa , and is a member of the Iowa House of Representatives for District 1. Scholten was the Democratic nominee for Iowa's 4th congressional district in the 2018 and 2020 elections .
Early life
Scholten was born in Ames, Iowa , in 1980.[2] His family moved to Sioux City, Iowa , when he was four years old. He attended East High School in Sioux City, and played for their baseball and basketball teams.[3] Scholten attended Morningside College , where he played college baseball as a pitcher and first baseman for three years, and then transferred to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln to pitch for the Nebraska Cornhuskers as a senior. In 2002, he led the Cornhuskers in earned run average .[4] Scholten graduated from Nebraska in December 2003.[1]
Professional baseball career
After graduating from college, Scholten played professional baseball , making his professional debut for the Saskatoon Legends of the Canadian Baseball League , an independent baseball league , in 2003.[5] When the league folded during the season, he signed with the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball , formerly of the Northern League.[6] He returned to Sioux City in 2004, and then played in Belgium in 2005 before returning to Sioux City.[7] In total, he played baseball in seven countries—the U.S., Canada, Belgium, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Cuba.[8]
After retiring from baseball, Scholten became a paralegal. He worked for firms in Minneapolis and Seattle that focused on intellectual property, and returned to Sioux City after the 2016 United States elections .[4]
On July 23, 2023, Scholten returned to professional baseball, signing with the Twins Oosterhout of the Honkbal Hoofdklasse . His arrival came after the club required an addition pitcher following a litany of injuries and issues with a Japanese player's visa .[9] In six games (three starts) for the club, Scholten recorded a 2–1 record and 4.50 ERA with 31 strikeouts across 26 innings pitched.[10]
On July 7, 2024, Scholten signed with the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association of Professional Baseball .[11]
Political career
Scholten at a Pete Buttigieg rally in November 2019
In the 2018 elections , Scholten ran against Republican incumbent Steve King for the United States House of Representatives in Iowa's 4th congressional district .[12] [13] [14] He lost, 50%–47% in a closer showing than expected.[15] In January 2019, Scholten announced the formation of a nonprofit group to help low-income Iowans gain more information about the earned income tax credit .[16] [17]
In August 2019, Scholten announced that he would seek a rematch against King in the 2020 elections .[18] [19] He was unopposed in the primary election and faced Randy Feenstra , who had defeated King in the Republican primary.[20] Scholten lost to Feenstra by a 25 point margin.[21]
On March 16, 2022, Scholten announced his candidacy for District 1 in the Iowa House of Representatives .[22] He was unopposed in the Democratic Party primary and the general election.[23] [24]
In 2023, while serving in the Iowa House of Representatives, Scholten signed with the Twins Oosterhout in the Honkbal Hoofdklasse . He continued to work as a legislator remotely.[25]
Scholten is running for reelection in the 2024 elections.[26]
Personal life
Scholten's father, Jim, was Morningside College's baseball coach.[27] [28]
References
^ a b "1,450 to Receive Degrees at Dec. 20 Commencement" . University of Nebraska-Lincoln. December 20, 2003. Archived from the original on June 29, 2006. Retrieved May 13, 2023 .
^ Rebecca Zweig (October 22, 2018). "J.D. Scholten Bets the Farm on Beating Steve King" . The Nation. Archived from the original on October 24, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018 .
^ Block, Tim (February 17, 1998). "East's Scholten 'passing' muster" . Sioux City Journal . Retrieved May 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
^ a b Hayworth, Bret. "Former Sioux City Explorer Scholten pitches his fitness for Iowa's 4th District seat" . Sioux City Journal . Retrieved July 7, 2020 .
^ "J.D. Scholten" . Baseball Reference. Retrieved May 13, 2023 .
^ "Explorers rough up Canaries, 14–8" . Sioux City Journal . July 28, 2003. p. B1. Retrieved May 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
^ "2007 Sioux City Explorers" . Sioux City Journal . May 10, 2007. p. B7. Retrieved May 29, 2020 . (subscription required)
^ Judd, Donald (August 5, 2019). "Iowa native JD Scholten announces second bid to unseat GOP Rep. Steve King" . CNN . CNN. Retrieved July 7, 2020 .
^ "Sioux City Rep. J.D. Scholten making a return to baseball" . thegazette.com . Retrieved April 23, 2024 .
^ "J.D. Scholten Independent Leagues Statistics" . baseball-reference.com . Retrieved April 23, 2024 .
^ "2024 Transactions" . aabaseball.com . Retrieved July 8, 2024 .
^ Andy Kroll (October 30, 2018). "Who Is J.D. Scholten, Steve King's Iowa Challenger? – Rolling Stone" . Rollingstone.com. Retrieved October 31, 2018 .
^ "Scholten wins Democratic bid to face U.S. Rep. Steve King in Iowa's 4th District" . Des Moines Register . June 6, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018 .
^ "Iowa election 2018 results: Republican Steve King overcomes strong challenge" . Des Moines Register . November 5, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2019 .
^ "Steve King outlasts J.D. Scholten; lashes out at attempts by critics to 'Kavanaugh-ize' him | Government and Politics" . Sioux City Journal . November 7, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2019 .
^ "J.D. Scholten. former Steve King foe, launches nonprofit, leaves door open for 2020 run" . Des Moines Register . January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019 .
^ "J.D. Scholten calls for Iowa farmers to attend rally in Storm Lake | Government and Politics" . Sioux City Journal . Retrieved May 29, 2020 .
^ "JD Scholten launches second bid to unseat Steve King" . The Hill . August 5, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2020 .
^ Judd, Donald (August 5, 2019). " 'We built something, and we earned the votes': Iowa native JD Scholten announces second bid to unseat Rep. Steve King – CNNPolitics" . Cnn.com. Retrieved May 29, 2020 .
^ "Scholten says he's ready for Feenstra" .
^ "J.D. Scholten, a Progressive Who Almost Unseated Steve King, Concedes in Iowa Race" . November 3, 2020.
^ Richardson, Ian (March 16, 2022). "Democrat J.D. Scholten, former Congressional candidate, is running for Iowa House" . Des Moines Register . Retrieved March 16, 2022 .
^ "J.D. Scholten among Iowa legislature advancing, unopposed, to November general election" .[permanent dead link ]
^ McNett, Jared (November 8, 2022). "Newly-elected legislators J.D. Scholten, Kevin Alons among Iowa statehouse winning candidates with no challengers" . Sioux City Journal . Retrieved November 11, 2022 .
^ https://www.thegazette.com/state-government/sioux-city-rep-j-d-scholten-making-a-return-to-baseball/
^ https://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/government-politics/scholten-iowa-legislature-reelection/article_93ad1590-8ed1-11ee-b9e0-f7be77b0b9c9.html
^ "Sioux City native Scholten returns to Explorers" . Sioux City Journal . April 4, 2007. p. B1. Retrieved May 29, 2020 .
^ Poe, Barry (April 28, 2011). "College Baseball: Scholten will retire as Morningside coach" . Sioux City Journal. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
External links